With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the postseason off in the not-so-distant future, here's my latest mailbag. Questions were submitted on Twitter the past week using hashtag #askrusso.

@bearcaster: The Wild have been piling up points lately, but is the California road trip to end the year still going to determine whether or not they make the playoffs? Have they turned the corner?

Russo: After the last two losses, I’d say absolutely. What a disappointing road trip, and the Wild have suddenly put themselves in the heart of a playoff battle yet again. This upcoming homestand against Detroit and Carolina is enormous to alleviate some pressure heading into another road back-to-back in Vancouver and Edmonton. The Wild need to rebound and, frankly, figure out why they look so poor so often against fast teams. If they don’t figure that out, it won’t matter what happens down the stretch because they’ll be dead meat once they enter the postseason...

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